


As The World Falls Down

by LevanaFay



Category: Major Crimes (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Sharon Lives, season 6 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-08 22:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13467765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LevanaFay/pseuds/LevanaFay
Summary: Season 6 AU. This begins a few weeks before JD's season 6. The Flu has left the Major Crimes Division at half strength and they've caught a horrible case. Will this provoke Chief Mason into making even more changes?





	1. Intruder Alert (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I'm not going to beat around the bush, I thought the sixth season was a massive let down, and not just because Sharon died; because I actually felt Stroh and the team got short changed. There just wasn't enough time to give everyone the focus they deserved. I had hoped for an epic showdown, a thrilling chase, but no. So I decided to rewrite it, lol. We'll see if I can do any better.  
> This is my season 6 AU. FYI, it begins a few weeks before JD's season six. It will eventually include mentions of the cases from the show as well as some of my own creation.

Major Crimes Season 6 AU.

As The World Falls Down

Episode 1 - Intruder Alert (part 1)

Disclaimer: I don't own Major Crimes, The Closer or any characters and storylines from those shows.

                Andy Flynn opened his eyes, blinking tiredly as he attempted to identify what had awoken him. The room was still dark, so he couldn't have been asleep for long, but there were no sounds that were out of place in the bedroom. He raised his head, straining for about a minute to hear movement in the condo, but there was nothing.

                He focussed on the figure laying on her side in his arms, facing away from him. Sharon Raydor, his fiancé, was burrowed as far under the blankets as she could get. Since she had come down with a bad case of Flu, she sometimes unintentionally woke him when she experienced swings in temperature, or when she insisted on getting up to dash to the bathroom to vomit, despite having a waste basket by the bed. This was not the case now though, she slept soundly, her rhythmic breathing almost soothing him back to sleep.

                A sharp buzzing from beside him, somewhere on his left jolted him back to wakefulness. His phone was vibrating. He sighed, reluctantly removed his arm from around Sharon's waist and rolled over, reaching for his cell. A quick glance at the screen told him he wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon. There was only one reason Provenza would be calling him at 2am. He swiped a finger over the screen and brought it to his ear.

                "Yeah?"

                " _Mason has given us a case. Buzz will text you the address, don't let the Cap- Commander come with you._ " Provenza said, and Andy couldn't help the smirk at his partners slip up. Sharon had been 'The Captain' for so long, it would be a while before they got used to calling her Commander.

                "You don't need to worry about that. This Flu has her wiped out; she sleeps like a log. She won't even notice the shower going." he replied, proving his point by not even trying to keep his voice quiet. She didn't stir, her slightly congested breathing remained steady, deep and slow.

                " _Fine, fine._ " Provenza hastily replied, banishing the reminder that they were involved and what that entailed. " _Just don't take too long. Robbery/Homicide is apparently on scene and none too happy with losing this case to us._ " Provenza ended the call in his usual brusque manner and Andy rolled his eyes. A turf war, fantastic. He lowered the phone and noticed he already had a text message from Buzz. That must have been what had woke him up.

                Andy took a moment to tuck the duvet in around Sharon's back and then made his way through his morning routine as swiftly as he could, doubly glad that he always took the time to lay out his outfit the night before. It had always been essential to do so when he could get a call out at all hours of the night and, now that he shared a bedroom once again, it helped to not disturb his fiancé, whom was usually a light sleeper like him.

                Once he was dressed, and his badge and gun were secure on his belt, he checked on Sharon one more time. He quickly made sure her medication was on the nightstand, beside the glass of water she had left there before bed. Mindful of the time, he left the bedroom and walked down the hall intending to switch on the coffee pot, when he noticed the kitchen light was on. He internally cringed; just because Sharon wouldn't stir while he got ready didn't mean the kid wouldn't. He sighed and rounded the corner, hoping his expression was appropriately apologetic.

                Rusty was leaning against the counter, eyes closed, his head drooping. If someone had told him in that moment that the boy had sleep-walked to the coffee maker, he would've believed them. Andy made his last few steps louder to give the kid a moment to regroup and stifled a chuckle as he jolted upright, his eyes snapping open. Rusty gave him a sour glance, which if he recalled his 'teenager' correctly meant 'thanks for ruining my life' or something similar.

                "Coffee's done." Rusty muttered as he rubbed his eyes and gestured towards the coffee pot, which was indeed freshly brewed and waiting to be poured.

                "Thanks." Andy opened a cupboard and pulled out his travel cup. "Hey, sorry kid. I forgot you were home tonight." Andy offered, hoping to get back on his good side. Rusty gave him a flat stare.

                "Mom doesn't make that much noise getting ready, and she uses a _hairdryer_." he replied and Andy wondered if the sass he was receiving was because he woke Rusty up or because he could have woken _Sharon_. After all, this was the first time Sharon had been ill in all the time Rusty had been here and it came in the wake of two explosions that could so easily have taken her from them.

                "You're right. I'll be more mindful, but you know that medication knocks her out pretty good." he offered.

                "Right." Rusty stifled a yawn and filled a glass with water as Andy filled his cup with coffee. Once their respective tasks were completed in companionable silence, Rusty turned and left the kitchen. Andy assumed he was going back to bed, so he was surprised to hear the door to Sharon's room open. Andy curiously ducked around the corner while he screwed the lid on to his travel cup, so he could see down the corridor to the bedrooms. Was Rusty waking her up? He should stop him, she needed to rest.

                He didn't take more than two steps before Rusty reappeared, quietly slipping back out of the bedroom, holding the glass of lukewarm water that had been on her nightstand. Realising that smirking right now would not win him any points with the kid, Andy fought to keep his expression neutral while he busied himself with picking up his keys from the side table by the door. _Someone_ would be hovering all day today. He fully expected to get an exasperated phone call from Sharon later.

                "Her medication is on the nightstand." Andy told him as he passed on his way back to the kitchen with the glass.

                "I know." Rusty replied shortly, and Andy looked heavenward for a moment before walking to the door. He reminded himself that he had earned the attitude with the early wake up. "See you later, Lieutenant." Rusty's slightly warmer tone made him pause in the act of walking through the door and glance back. Rusty waved tiredly as he passed him and went back down the corridor to his room. His heart feeling a little lighter knowing the kid didn't hate him all of a sudden, he smiled and quietly closed and locked the condo door.

                The drive to the crime scene was uneventful, and the coffee helped wake him up, so he didn't feel as run down when he pulled up to the curb behind Provenza's car. Andy quickly drained the last of his coffee and then got out of the car, looking around to see if he could spy any members of his squad. There didn't look to be any taped off areas outside, so obviously the team must all be inside the property.

                "Aw, geez." he groaned, irritated by the sight of Detective Ross waiting by the door of the house with his cell phone to his ear and a glare on his face. Andy quickly crossed the garden and moved up to the house. He took some shoe covers from the officer at the door, studiously ignoring the fuming Robbery/Homicide Detective, who lowered the volume of his voice as a rival neared. Andy entered and identified himself to the officer holding the crime scene log and looked around. It was a nice place- not high end, but on the higher side.

                "Ah, Flynn. Glad you could join us." Andy turned towards Provenza's mocking voice, rolling his eyes as his partner waved him over to what looked like the kitchen.

                "Yeah, yeah." he grumbled, pulling his gloves on as he strode over. "So, what's important enough to make this one ours?" He asked Provenza, but it was Julio that answered.

                "The family that lives here came home from vacation and found someone in their house. The father saw the intruder had a weapon, panicked and shot him." He gestured to the blood stain on the carpet near the kitchen island in the middle of the room. "Neighbours called 911."

                "Paramedics took him to Ceders." Buzz interjected from his place holding his camera, filming Sykes while she was spraying the counter tops and utensils which were laid out on it. Usually that was something that Tao would be doing, however because of the Flu outbreak Sharon, Mike and Wes were all on sick leave, resulting in the squad being at half strength right now.

                "Ok, but how is that a Major Crime?" Andy asked.

                "By itself, it isn't, but when officers arrived on scene and cleared the house, they found this." Julio held up an evidence bag, containing a wrapped block of what looked like uncooked homemade burgers. Andy leaned a little closer to read the label, and immediately wished he hadn't.

                " _Human flesh burgers_?" he asked incredulously. Julio nodded.

                "They found this in the burger press. There was also a mincing machine on the counter top next to it. It still had _obviously_ human flesh in it which hadn't yet been fed through and minced meat in the receiving tray," Julio sombrely reported, "and the freezer is full of human remains."

                "Ah, sirs? We're ready over here." Buzz called, while Amy picked up the black-light. Andy, Provenza and Julio all moved closer to Buzz and Amy for a better view of what would undoubtedly be a horrifying sight.

                "Lights." Provenza shouted, and the uniformed officer positioned by the light switch flicked it off. Amy turned on the black-light and waved it over the counter top slowly, allowing Buzz time to record everything that lit up. The counter top itself was one of the things that did; as well as all around the chopping board and all over the sink, the chopping board itself, the burger press, a few knives, and most disturbingly; a plate with a steak knife and fork on it left on the draining board.

                "Ugh. I've never been so happy to be vegetarian." Andy muttered, shaking his head.

                "It looks like he froze some of the body pieces, while others were hung over the sink to drain, then chopped and... processed." Amy theorised. She gestured to the plate. "I guess he got hungry while he waited for them to drain and made himself something to eat." She turned off the black-light and the houselights were switched back on. "We also found an air mattress in the living room, along with changes of clothes, so he was definitely squatting here while the family were away." she said. She then busied herself with putting the black-light and spray bottle back into Tao's bag of tricks.

                "Ok. Maybe our nut job off-ed someone," he gestured to the mincing machine, "and was trying to eat the evidence." He averted his eyes to settle his stomach. Sykes shook her head and pointed in the direction of the living room.

                " There was a plastic wallet filled with printed labels and a wad of vacuum packing supplies next to his air mattress. Plus, the officer who found the remains in the freezer said it looked like more than one body. This doesn't look like a spur of the moment killing to me, Lieutenant; it looks like a business." Amy countered.

                "In someone's home? They couldn't have been gone that long." Flynn protested. It _was_ possible, but most criminals would find that too risky.

                "Maybe they were in on it." Sykes suggested, shrugging. Andy nodded, conceding the point.

                "The freezer is through here." Julio stated, leading the way over to a side door. Through the door was a set of stairs leading down to a small cellar, which contained some cardboard boxes with knickknacks strewn across them, a broken bicycle and a chest freezer.

                The freezer was open and Kendall was already there, quickly removing bags and laying them on a gurney. Some of the bags were clear, some were opaque white, and all were covered in frost. He carefully felt each one and sorted the jumble of different limbs into piles as he went.

                "Kendall, what can you tell us?" Provenza asked, as they all moved closer and sadly took in the sight. The Coroner Investigator sighed and straightened up from the freezer, another bag in hand.

                "Not much, Lieutenant. So far we have eight arms; three with a hand still attached,-"

                "At least we'll get fingerprints for three of the victims." Andy interjected.

                "-five lower legs, seven shoulders, two thighs and _three_ feet." he replied, placing the bag in his hand down with two others. "No torso's or heads. There's not enough left of any of the bodies for me to give any kind of guess as to cause of death, you'll have to wait for Morales to look them over once they've thawed. You're probably looking at waiting for blood tests, though. I'd only be guessing at how long they've been frozen, too." he said, shrugging in frustration. Provenza pinched the top of his nose slightly, and sighed.

                "How about a ball park figure?" he asked, gesticulating impatiently.

                "Well, the limbs were frozen for the first time when they were packed into this freezer, or they wouldn't have fit in as snugly, so... however long the family was gone is probably about the right time." Kendall responded.

                "Alright, lets' wrap this up." Provenza said impatiently. "Flynn, we're going to the morgue with the frozen body parts. Sykes; follow up with Cedars on our cannibal. Sanchez, Buzz; escort the family downtown. We need to make sure they aren't involved." They dispersed as Provenza gave out his orders, all moving back upstairs and out to accomplish their tasks.

                Andy and Provenza waited by the front door for Kendall to bring the remains out so they could accompany him to the morgue. Andy noted that Detective Ross was no longer outside. Hopefully that meant he had given up trying to get the case back, though he remembered all too well how aggravating it was to have a crime scene usurped.

                "What are you thinking?" Andy asked while they waited. His own thoughts about this case seemed to be centred on those burgers and he really needed to focus on something else before he puked. Provenza glanced at him briefly before refocusing on the gurney as Kendall appeared, wheeling it out.

                "I'm thinking; why only keep the limbs?"


	2. Intruder Alert (part 2)

 

                "From what I can tell, you have pieces from at least six people here." Doctor Morales stated sombrely, easily setting the mood for the visit.

                Today, Morales' autopsy suite was quite cramped. He'd clearly had to make do with squeezing three gurneys in, each with two piles of remains on them, as there were no complete bodies. Each set of remains sat in a separate tray, which Andy presumed was to catch the bodily fluids as the pieces thawed. How much blood came out would depend on how thoroughly they were drained before being frozen, which he figured could be problematic as far as blood tests went.

                The two Lieutenants decided to stay on the side closest to the door; not because they were in a hurry to leave, but because they didn't want to bump the gurneys and risk sending a frozen limb rolling to the floor.

                Andy and Provenza were dressed from head to toe in the protective blue garments that they were required to wear. They had taken their time, too, helping Andy to settle his stomach and allowing Morales to get a head start on thawing. The hairdryer that he had been using to speed up the process lay on his desk, where he had set it before ushering the two Lieutenants inside. There was a large heater at the foot of the gurneys, bathing the severed limbs with an orange glow, giving them a more lifelike flush. Andy swallowed hard and focussed instead on Morales.

                "Two male, four female. The ages range from mid twenties-" Morales moved to the far right table and lifted a small foot, "-down to early teens; I'd say about 13/14." Andy was stunned. That was barely more than a child.

                "Why would a cannibal kill a 13 year old kid? I mean, how much meat could they have on them?" Flynn asked, not really expecting an answer. Morales put the foot back down and leaned thoughtfully on the gurney.

                "So, you're thinking cannibalism? Well, it's probably not the amount, but the 'quality'. What they do have would be more... tender, I guess? Probably like the difference between veal and beef." He suggested with a grimace.

                "God." Provenza muttered, appalled.

                "The good news is; they were dismembered post-mortem." Morales offered.

                "That's a relief." Andy agreed. It wasn't much, but at least they hadn't suffered through mutilation.

                "Yeah. These cuts are very efficient, so definitely not his first time. Looks like whoever did this, did it manually, using a very sharp blade; probably a cleaver." He showed them the slicing pattern on one of the legs, pointing out the clean break in the bone.

                "Which would explain why we didn't find any power tools on the scene, though it still doesn't rule out killing and dismembering somewhere else." Provenza surmised.

                "I can't see any needle marks or cuts on the limbs that would suggest foul play, but that's to be expected. Without the torso's, cause of death is almost impossible to determine. Blood tests should help but I can't do much until they are completely thawed out, which won't take as long as it would for a whole body, but it's still a while. Until then, I can't even say these people were murdered, just desecrated."

                "We'll need to put out an alert with hospitals and mortuaries; see if any bodies have gone missing in the last two weeks." Provenza stated gravely, glancing meaningfully at Andy.

                "Right. If our guy really is running a business, he'll need to have a regular supplier." Andy continued, picking up the worrying train of thought. A business dealing in dead bodies... well it was better than one that required mass murder.

                "I'll have our 'inventory' checked, too. Better safe then sued." Morales quipped, flashing a smile.

                "So when can we get prints?" Andy asked. It would be nice to be able to get a lead on who at least some of the victims were.

                "Once the hands are thawed and rehydrated." Morales replied. "There were actually two right hands and one left, but unfortunately two of the hands look like they might be from the same person. I'm going to send samples from each piece to be tested, to be on the safe side."

                "Prints from only two of six bodies." Andy couldn't believe how little they were getting from the remains.

                "So we're going to be relying on DNA and these people may not even be in the system." Provenza summarised. Morales nodded, shrugging.

                "Unless there are anomalies in the blood work there's unfortunately not much more I can do to help, as far as identifying them goes. There is something else that's quite interesting, though." He moved back to the centre gurney and gestured to encompass most of the pieces. "There's barely any decomp on the remains from these five people, so I'd say they were frozen within a few hours of death. These pieces, however," he moved to the leftmost gurney and indicated the limbs closest to the Lieutenants, "were frozen after a few _days_."

                "Our cannibal killed _before_ he had access to a freezer?" Andy said, frowning. For some reason that felt important, and a quick glance to Provenza confirmed that he also felt it.

                "Weird, huh. Especially if you're considering the business route. Why risk your merchandise going bad?" Morales rhetorically asked, the smirk on his face told them he knew it was a significant find, too.

                "That's a good question. Can you prioritise results from this person?" Provenza asked.

                "Sure. As soon as I have something more for you, I'll let you know." Morales agreed, probably already intending to do so.

                "Thanks Doc." Andy said as he and Provenza turned to leave.

                "No problem, and give my best to _Commander_ Raydor." he emphasised with a smirk. Andy grinned back. It was nice to know their friends were as proud of Sharon finally getting the long-withheld promotion as he was. It was just a shame she had fallen ill so soon after. He figured that by the time she got back people would be used to the change so the novelty would have worn off, but he intended to enjoy it while it lasted.

-

                Mike Tao woke up struggling to breathe, such was the power of his coughing fit.

                In moments, a tissue was forcibly wedged into his hand and he gladly grasped it in order to replace his closed fist with it, which he had automatically pressed to his mouth upon regaining consciousness. A hand began firmly rubbing his back in an attempt to relax his muscles, and it took a few moments for his brain to catch up with being suddenly expelled from his exhausted sleep and recognise who the hand belonged to.

_Cathy_. As awareness brought him back to the comforting embrace of his wife, the last images of the crime scene in his dreams dissipated; the unmoving features of the young officer, whom he had ordered to her death, fading away. He gulped in air as his coughs subsided, the rhythmic circles his wife was drawing on his back seeming to soothe his lungs back to proper working order, even if they couldn't yet get back to normal capacity.

                He sighed gratefully, leaning back into her hand slightly and dropping the tissue in the vague direction of the waste basket by the bed. Now that he was no longer occupied solely with the struggle to breathe, he noticed the bedside lamp was on, casting a dim glow over their bedroom. Cathy was sat up beside him, watching him with obvious concern that he knew wasn't just due to the coughing fit. He tried to smile reassuringly, but he felt awful and the ever present thickness of his saliva and nasal mucus crowded his mouth and throat, threatening to choke him. He needed water. He squinted through his early morning photosensitivity and reached out, hoping to see the water by the bed before his questing hand knocked it to the floor.

                "Wait, I've got it." Cathy said softly, her voice thick with sleep. Mike stopped his own attempts to find the glass and withdrew, allowing her to take over. She quickly got out of the bed and rounded it, rather than reaching across him. She must have thought he needed space, though whether that was due to the coughing or because of the nightmare he was diligently ignoring, he didn't know. "Sit up and drink this, honey." She told him and he regretfully noted she was sounding much more awake now.

                He obeyed her soft command, grunting sourly as he did so. He didn't like how woolly his senses were feeling. He knew it was part and parcel of being ill, that it would fade as he woke up more, but it was annoying how much it made everything harder. He took the glass and drank, sipping slowly while calming his breathing, the repetitive actions giving him the time to pull himself together.

                Cathy sat beside him with a yawn, taking the glass back and placing it on the bedside cabinet. He glanced at her guiltily. He hadn't meant to wake her, he'd actually been doing quite well at not making a nuisance of himself while he was ill. It wasn't the first time he'd woken her in the night, though. Not even the first time this week. He'd spoken to her about it, of course, the therapist too. It had helped, objectively.

                He knew _logically_ that he couldn't have known the radio was a bomb.

                He knew _logically_ that they had a dangerous job and that anything could happen to them all at any given time.

                He knew _logically_ that if he hadn't ordered Hailey Williams to pick up the radio, someone else would have.

                But someone _else_ didn't. _He_ did.

                And the bomb had exploded about one metre from her.

                The shockwave had burst blood vessels throughout her body and stretched her skin until it had torn. It had flung her a distance of several feet; her brain had slammed up against her skull-

                "Mike." Cathy's soft voice beside him, her fingers gently wiping beneath his eyes, grounded him once more. His next breath shuddered, and he blinked quickly, taking the fresh tissue she offered to dry his eyes.

                "Next time Kevin says his dorm-mates have the Flu, I'm telling him not to come home." He forced out, clearing his throat roughly. Cathy was silent for a few moments, obviously deciding if she should press him or allow him to change the subject. Eventually she squeezed his hand, letting him know she'd decided to let it go. The relief he felt left him lighter and he gratefully resolved to speak to her about it again, just not now; later.

                "Sure." She said wryly. "We can Skype, or Snap-Chat, or whatever App he's using these days." He chuckled, it was tempting, but he knew why neither of them would actually go through with it. They missed him. They missed all their boys too much to ask them to stay away, particularly when they were the ones who suggested coming home for the weekend.

                The Flu had been going around, PAB was no exception, he would have been exposed to the virus at some point, so he'd insisted Kevin come home anyway. If he hadn't recently been in the vicinity of two bombs that had kicked up thick smoke and debris he would have been fine, but his throat and lungs had been sore, his immune system low, so he had caught the Flu. His consolation was that Commander Raydor was also off with it, as well as young Wes Nolan. He didn't feel quite so old when he thought of it like that.

                "What time is it?" he asked, idly looking to the nightstand for his glasses. There was nowhere he needed to be; he was on bed rest, but Cathy still had work.

                "Almost four." she replied, and he nodded; he'd expected as much from the lack of light coming through the curtains.

                "Plenty of time to snooze before you get up for work." He said, carefully attempting to draw her back beneath the blankets. She laughed and obliged, waiting for him to get comfortably situated before she turned off the light and settled beside him.

                Mike knew he would be the only one going back to sleep.

-

                "With all due respect, Chief Mason, neither the home owners or the squatter were celebrities, they've never done anything noteworthy, so why should our case be handled by Major Crimes?" Detective Ross asked, standing to attention beside Lieutenant Waters, on the other side of Leo's new desk.

                Mason watched the two men carefully. He had known that a power struggle would erupt between Robbery/Homicide and Major Crimes; it was historically proven that the two departments were incapable of sharing. He'd obviously underestimated the level of possessiveness that he would have to deal with.

                "Cannibalism is a very serious issue, Detective Ross." He stated, hoping the unsaid _obviously_ came across. Loudly.

                "So is murder, which is _our_ department." Lieutenant Waters spoke up. _Ah,_ Leo thought grimly, _there it is_.

                His appointment to Chief of Operations had been a surprise to quite a few in the Force. Not because he was young, or he lacked ability or drive, but because people expected Chief Davis to be a shoe-in. She had been next in line, after all. Then she had embarrassed the department by screaming 'Terrorism' over a simple string of revenge murders and consequently taken herself out of the running.

                Then there had been Captain, now Commander, Raydor. A more perfect example of incorruptible authority simply didn't exist, but she was IA, she was the former head of FID, she was everything the officers she had investigated, and the top brass, didn't want in a position next to them where she could further her reach.

                Chief Howard wasn't even a consideration. He was FBI, his appointment to Chief of SOB had been hard enough to take for some. Chief of Operations? No. Never going to happen. As far as the officers below were concerned, Mason got the job because he was the last candidate left and threw Raydor a promotion to validate his new power.

                "I see." he said, forcing as nonchalant an expression as he could manage. "You think because I'm formerly Criminal Intelligence that I'm confused about the boundaries between Robbery/Homicide and Major Crimes?" _Let them trip themselves up and give their game away_.

                "Chief Taylor wouldn't have taken this case from us after we had started it. Sir." Ross replied, pointedly delaying the 'sir'. A cheap move, not worthy of noticing. Mason skipped his gaze to Waters, ignoring Ross' attempt at angering him through insubordination. He needed to show them he wasn't that sensitive.

                "I'm _not_ Chief Taylor." Leo replied. His words were spoken quietly, in an attempt to not let them know if they had bothered him. _You'll have to do better than that_. Waters stepped forward.

                "And we saw that as a good thing. He wouldn't have given it to us at all, but you did." His confusion must have fleetingly shown on his face, prompting Waters to latch on to his momentary weakness and run with it. "The department saw that as a positive comment on your opinion of our professional integrity. We were greatly encouraged by your decision to give us further responsibility, especially where it had been significantly reduced in recent years." He paused, then shrugged as if he was showing how disappointed and confused the whole department was. "Then you took it away." The effect was quite impressive, but somewhat ruined by Ross' smug presence.

                "That was after the Human remains were discovered to be for _consumption_." Mason intoned slowly, as if Waters was struggling to grasp something obvious and he was kindly not throwing it in his face.

                "And as horrible as that is; it's still a home invasion and murder case." Waters pointed out. He was actually better at this then Mason had given him credit for. Underestimating him may have cost him in the future. Luckily he had shown his hand now. "Major Crimes is down _three_ people - including their commanding officer - and this case is going to be a media blowout. We are at full strength, we did the initial interviews with the neighbours and the family, so if this goes to trial - because criminals don't always go for the deals - we'll still be involved anyway." he concluded. Mason quietly considered his options; that was actually a good pitch for a joint investigation.

                "Okay. Here's how it's going to be; this case will be handled by Major Crimes. If, after the evidence is reviewed, I believe they need more hands on deck I will allow one or two officers from Robbery/Homicide to assist." He offered. He didn't want Robbery/Homicide to decide to make life difficult for him, but he couldn't give in to their strong-arming.

                "As long as Major Crimes is involved in this case, Robbery/Homicide won't receive any recognition for our work." Ross burst out. Leo was stunned, so was Waters. Apparently that wasn't part of the plan.

                "This case has over four victims so far, _that we know of_ , and very possibly a long, bloody history... and you're worried about not getting credit?" Leo asked incredulously. Ross had the decency to look abashed, but from his determined expression this was evidently a closely held opinion.

                "I'm worried about all of our academy recruits wanting to join the 'Big Name Department' instead of just playing to their strengths. When you left CID, how were your numbers looking? Because ours are dropping." he earnestly insisted. Waters remained silent, which only served to put more weight behind the Detective's words.

                "Alright, enough. I'm not giving the case back to Robbery/Homicide. I've made my decision and I'm standing by it. Now, if that's all." He indicated the door. Waters and Ross glowered, before stiffly turning and striding from the room, shutting the door forcefully behind them.

                Leo knew when someone was trying to play him, but they did have a point. To have come to him with this meant that it wasn't just one person driving that opinion; it was shared. Resentment towards Major Crimes was festering inside the entire department, even Chief Davis had displayed an unreasonable amount of distain for them, though Leo had initially put that down to a personal grudge against Raydor.

                It needed to be dealt with, he just couldn't see how yet.

                Another problem that Major Crimes had, however, _was_ something that he could fairly easily solve. They were, as had been pointed out to him, short staffed and this case would be big, even if it was wrapped up by the six o'clock news. He hadn't anticipated this opportunity presenting itself quite so soon, but now it was here, he was going to take advantage of it.

                Chief Mason quickly stood from his desk and left his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lieutenant Waters is from the Pilot episode of the Closer and is Andy's partner. He is never heard from or seen again after that, though.  
> I thought that Mike's reaction to Hailey Williams' death was skipped over too quick in the episodes, I would have loved to see more of Tao, particularly at home, so I decided to shine a spot light on it here.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Well I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep you guessing, I'm quite a predictable writer, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Detective Ross is a Robbery/Homicide Detective from The Closer, in case you don't know.


End file.
